Many companies have casual Fridays, if you still feel the need to wear a tie, this is the tie to wear. Trust me, no one else will be sporting a tie like this and the women at work will be asking you all about it. This brings to mind, the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, where Hobbes declares: “chicks dig ties”. So, guys out there–you get the idea?

For this project, I bought a plain white silk necktie and eco dyed it with locally source plant materials. First, I gently removed the stitching along the length of the tie and pulled out the interfacing found inside the tie, leaving just the unfolded silk fabric. I then washed it in soap and water; and with the material still damp, I arranged plant materials along the length of the fabric; bundled it up with strings and boiled it in a water bath of onion skins and bark for an hour.

fresh out of my dye pot, and peeling to see what enfolds

bold blade leaf print from red ironbark (Eucalpytus sideroxylon)

the colors of fall

The challenging part was to stitch the necktie back together by hand. Since, this was my first time doing this, I had to examined some of John’s ties to see the actual construction of the tie. It took me a couple of hours stitching it back together. It was fun and now I know to make a neck tie from scratch. I am pleased with the results and happy to share. This tie is available for sale here.

front view of necktie

back view of necktie

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